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Saturday, 10 November 2007

On 'Daughter of the East' -a review:

Benazir Bhutto, extraordinarily a most charismatic woman and former Prime Minister of Pakistan, wrote her authobiography in mid eightees. It’s an autobiography but it has the inherent qualities of a history –a history that is all time relevant. When written and published, the Book was acclaimed as a masterpiece not because it was the work of the one who happened to be the Prime Minister of Pakistan and daughter of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto who himself ruled the country as Prime Minister earlier but more because what she wrote was not only in relation to power politics but it talked of behavioural pattern which at same scale or the other applies to all in general. Faithfuls turning saboteurs, those recognized as honest behaving dishonest, peace lovers acting violent, protectors assuming the role of killers and justice givers in judiciary monitoring injustice. All these aspects on human behaviour have most dexterously elaborated by the author and are worth going through by the readers of both kinds –those who take interest in history and also those who have inquisitiveness for human behaviour in different given situations. One instance briefly reproduced here talks volumes as to how a Judge could twist a broad day light truth to a blatant lie by forcing his words into the mouth of a witness just because the truth revealed by him could go in favour of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and if the same truth was successfully twisted by the Judge to look a lie, it was enough to implicate Bhutto in the case of conspiracy launched against him. As quoted by the author, Masood Mahmood , the Director General of the Federal Security Force was a witness turned approver and his was the only testimony directly linking Zulfikar Ali Bhutto to the conspiracy. The way the Chief Justice Maulvi Mushtaq conducted the proceedings aimed at implicatig Bhutto runs like this in the words of author herself:

I was present when Maulvi Mushtaq misrepresented the testimony of Masood Mahmood’s drive trying to establish a link between my father and the Director General of the FSF. ‘Is it true that you took Masood Mahmood to see the Prime Minister?’ the Chief Justice asked.‘No’ the frightened driver replied‘Write: “I drove Masood Mahmood to see the Prime Minister”, Maulvi Mushtaq directed the court stenographer‘Objection my Lord’! the defence lawyer said rising‘Over ruled’ Maulvi Mushtaq snapped his heavy white brows gathering in anger. Then he turned to the witness. ‘What you meant to say is that you don’t remember, but you may have driven Mahmood to see the Prime Minister’ he said.‘No,Sir. I didn’t drive him’ the driver responded.‘Write: “Masood Mahmood drove himself to see the Prime Minister”, the Chief Justice instructed the stenographer.Objection’ the defence lawer said again , rising.‘Sit down’ roared Maulvi Mushtaq. He turned back to the driver‘Masood Mahmood could have driven himself to see the Prime Minister, couldn’t he? he asked‘No, Sir’ the driver said, shaking‘Why not?’ shouted Mushtaq‘Because I had the keys, sir’, quivered the driver

The Book contains narrations and illustrations like this in a large number and one can realize the worth of it only when it is given a thorough reading.